2 x Class 25s

I already had my Bachmann class 25 loco, which I bought after driving a real one. I never managed to get it to run right as there was barely sufficient clearance for the Märklin skate, it fouled the moulding for the axles and I didn't fancy cutting the plastic and risk damaging the gear cogs as both bogies are powered (driven by one central motor) meaning that it would run fine in a straight line but slipped to a standstill on points and curves.

When a Hornby class 25 appeared on Ebay that just happened to have been renumbered to the actual one I drove, I had a little bid. As it turned out mine was the only bid and I won!

Once the loco arrived I immediately bolted on a Märklin skate, still need to sort the current return to the insulated wheels but it seems to run ok for now. I realised that the latest batch of skates that I'd bought were in fact longer than the ones I'd been using. After checking again with the Bachmann loco I realised that the skate would just about clear the axles and should allow just enough clearance underneath.

So now I have two running class 25s! The Hornby version is obviously much older but is the faster of the two. It would benefit from some ballast above the bogie with the pickup skate but seems to perform quite happily around the simple loop I've constructed temporarily in the loft. They double-head reasonably well.

This is the Hornby one...

And this is the Bachmann one that's spent most of its life stuck in the box...

Underside view of both locos, the Bachmann is on top. The pickup skates just about clear the bogies.

Having realised that the longer skates solved all my problems, I then realised that the underside of the Hornby loco was identical to the underside of my old Hornby HST, one of my first projects (makes sense really I suppose) so after another half an hour of pottering, that too has been brought back into usable condition, just need a few more mk3 coaches for it.

Three more items to add to the list of running locos, not that I need more.

New layout: All in a day's work - part three

Another all day, 10 hour session.

Progress is good, still much to do but advancing well.

First job of the day was to clip together all six boards to ensure that there was no warpage and that everything lined up (which it did)

The polystyrene needs to be shaped but is the right height for the raised loop.

Here the polystyrene needs to be cut away to allow the turntable to be fitted. The tracks here were laid at the end of the last all day session.

In the absence of a reasonably priced, single tunnel mouth, a Peco one has been bought and painted accordingly.

The main station end with the modified (by us) double, double tunnel. Again the polystyrene needs to be shaped.

After laying the tracks (including my modified half large radius curves (right hand side) ballast was added and the inside walls of the tunnel painted brown.

Polystyrene cut away (two girder bridges will bridge this gap) turntable fitted, sadly only five of the six roads will fit.

The whole of board one has its track fixed and ballasted.

Looking down the front section from right to left.

All the track along the front is now permanently fixed into position.

An extra piece of hillside was added today, cut roughly to shape and glued in. We can't shape this until the glue has dried. The junction layout was also fixed into position along with the TPO.

Level crossing now permanently fixed and held into position by the track. The raised section here has now been shaped ready for modrock. Signals also permanently fixed into position.

Main station end (before the platforms were added) and before I'd had a chance to vacuum!

The up (inner) loop with signals.

Tunnel walls again painted brown, points were pre-soldered and just required the holes drilling in the boards before fixing into position. I took the precaution of bench testing every set of points prior to installing them.

Station view again with nicely sculptured hillside for the upper loop.

Looking through the station into the tunnel.

Two platforms fixed into position and the 0-6-2 tank was used to check the clearances.

Starting to look like a proper station!

Had to move one of the signals to fit the platform, may yet move the other one.

Looking left to right, the trackbed for the raised section easier to see.

The view I'll be getting used to, from behind the layout. Still need to add the main station building and platform.

The ramp here by the crossing will be removable as it crosses two boards.

The third signal is for the shuttle loop, which will be automatically controlled.

The added "hump" which we'll model properly once the glue has set.

Board one track and ballasting completed.

Two more boards to be ballasted, then we need to lay the tracks at the back (fiddle yard) at least two more full days of work ahead of us (we think) but great progress.

Tired now.

Signs

I'm about to break one of my own rules here.

I wanted some authentic looking signs and didn't realise that HD actually produced any.

After a quick Ebay search, I found these for a reasonable price, only thing is, they don't appear to have ever been removed from the packaging. The staples look a little rusty and it seems a shame really to open the packaging...

I think I'll keep looking for more used examples. It does seem a shame after all this time to break open the package and there's plenty of time left to source some more.